Talking Sense - Volume 45, No 4, Winter 99
Boston Lodge is one of three new care homes for older people opened by Sense in the last year to meet a growing need. Hilary Todd meets some Boston Lodgers to find out how Sense is dealing with this special need.
Louise Williams is accustomed to meeting challenges head on. She came to Britain from Germany at the end of the War with nothing whatever. Despite much anti-German prejudice initially, she made a life and a home for herself and her husband in Coventry. Now a widow, she nursed her husband through Parkinson's Disease then, three years ago, developed a severe sight problem on top of an existing hearing loss. 'I tried to carry on for as long as I could,' she says. 'I simplified things, like using plastic crockery so I couldn't break it. But in the end I couldn't see to keep the house clean, or cook or cut my nails. I was having to ask my friends to help me, which I didn't like doing.'
Now Louise is successfully making a new life for herself at Boston Lodge where she is one of nine pioneers in Sense's newest service, a residential care home for older people with dual sensory loss. Her charming bedsitting room epitomises the Boston Lodge approach to care. Partly furnished with her own things, and decorated as Louise wants it, it has an en-suite shower room, a patio where Louise grows plants, and her own TV and telephone. 'They told me to treat this place like home, and I do.'
A new partnership
Sense's involvement with Boston Lodge came about almost by accident. The home was originally run by the Coventry Society for the Blind, but it was a financial struggle for them to keep the home running. The search began for another agency to take over, but, sadly, the home had already been closed down when Sense found out about it and stepped in. Sense now runs the resource centre attached to Boston Lodge where visually impaired people can try out special equipment for daily living, or attend the classes and lively day centre. There is now a close partnership between the resource centre and Boston Lodge, with each learning from the other's special skills and cross-referring users.
Sense's first job was to make extensive repairs and refurbishment to accommodate elderly residents with a multiplicity of difficulties, including impaired sight, hearing and, often, mobility. Another challenge, as project manager Ruth Krivosic found, was to get referrals. 'We had to raise awareness among the local social work teams who didn't really appreciate the need for special provision for people with dual sensory loss. It's such a hidden disability and, though Boston Lodge is now very well thought of, we still have much awareness raising to do,' Ruth says. Boston Lodge is registered for 13 residents, including one respite care place, and took in its first residents in spring last year.
Designs for older age
'The home is designed to help people maximise whatever hearing and sight they have,' says the home's manager, Ria Rennie. 'We make good use of colour and contrast so residents with some vision can distinguish between the walls and the floor, for instance.' Each room has a flashing doorbell for visitors and a fire alarm that shakes the bed, while there is a talking lift and lighting that minimises glare. The sitting room has wood flooring so that residents can feel the vibration when someone comes in, and the TV has a magnifying screen and loop system for hearing aid users. 'Our aim is to give residents an environment that supports independence and gives them some control,' says Ria. 'Residents are very happy to use the lift alone, for instance, because it tells them where they are.' Louise certainly appreciates all of this; 'They think about the little things here,' she says. 'Look, I can find this cup because it contrasts with the table.'
Communicating a need
Sense works equally hard at getting its care philosophy right and training the staff to meet residents' needs on an individual basis. Communication can be a major challenge. Louise is lucky in that her hearing aid helps her hold a conversation, but many have restricted means of communication. 'Our residents all have acquired sensory losses, so none of them can sign or read braille,' Ria tells me. 'We often work with their families to find out how they communicate, or in some cases we have to teach a method that works. Most residents are learning block (tracing out words a letter at a time on the hand) but for some we have to use symbols, like a cup to show that it's tea time. And we put a lot of effort into keeping ordinary conversation going.'
Some of the staff are 'old hands' at Boston Lodge, but others are new, even to residential care as a career. 'All of our staff go through the Sense training programme,' Ria explains. 'That means they learn how to guide and communicate with people with dual sensory loss, and we teach them British Sign Language. They can also study for NVQs so that they get a recognised qualification.' The staffing levels are high, with six day care staff and two night staff in addition to the cook and Ria herself.
The special service provided at Boston Lodge is now beginning to attract potential residents from a wide area. The respite place is well used and the home also offers short-term rehabilitation to older people who then return to their own homes.
Making choices
So what is life like for the residents? 'We encourage residents to make their own choices and give them opportunities to enjoy social activities, like local clubs,' says Ria. 'They get up and go to bed when they want and always have a choice of meals. There's a little "quiet room" where residents can make drinks and snacks and entertain their visitors, and they have access to all the facilities next door at the resource centre.'
Louise thinks it was the right decision to come to the home. 'It's difficult to be cared for when you have been a carer for so long. But here I don't have anything to worry about and I'm free to enjoy my liberty. I go to the shops and my friends come and visit me.' Other residents value the security, not least one lady whose home was repeatedly broken into. There's warm appreciation all round. As one resident said, 'It's like living in Buckingham Palace here'.
For more information about Boston Lodge, write to them at 35 Earlsdon Avenue South, Coventry CV5 6DR or phone 024 - 76 717506.
Key points:
- There is very little specialist care provision for older people with dual sensory impairments.
- Communication can be a real challenge. Most residents have acquired sensory loss so they are unable to sign or read braille.
- The aim of Sense homes is to support residents' independence and choice.
